Saratoga Springs pupfish
Saratoga Springs pupfish | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Cyprinodontiformes |
Family: | Cyprinodontidae |
Genus: | Cyprinodon |
Species: | |
Subspecies: | C. n. nevadensis
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Trinomial name | |
Cyprinodon nevadensis nevadensis (C. H. Eigenmann & R. S. Eigenmann, 1889)
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The Saratoga Springs pupfish (Cyprinodon nevadensis nevadensis) is a subspecies of the Amargosa pupfish (
Taxonomy
The
Ichthyologists
Other subspecies include the Amargosa River pupfish (C. n. amargosae), the Ash Meadows pupfish (C. n. mionectes), the Warm Springs pupfish (C. n. pectoralis), the Shoshone pupfish (C. n. shoshone), and the extinct Tecopa pupfish (C. n. calidae).[2]
Description
Male Saratoga Springs pupfish are bright blue in color, while females are a drab olive-brown. The fish have a standard length of 4 cm (1.5 in), and the total length is rarely greater than 5 cm (2 in).[4]
The diet of C. n. nevadensis is typical of pupfishes. Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) are the primary food source, for which their lengthy guts are particularly well adapted. Ostracods, copepods, and the larvae of chironomids provide seasonal nutrition.[4]
Mating behavior differs from stream-dwelling pupfishes but is similar to other spring-dwellers. Males defend territories in which females lay eggs throughout the year. While the fish are capable of surviving a wide range of temperatures, reproduction is limited to a narrower range (75–86 °F; 24–30 °C).[4]
Distribution and habitat
The fish is only known to occur naturally at
A population was introduced at Lake Tuendae, an artificial pond in Zzyzx, California, but reports conflict as to its continued survival there.[4][5]
Conservation
The Saratoga Springs pupfish carries no official conservation status. The state of California has identified it as possibly qualifying as threatened based on its limited distribution and the possibility that distant groundwater pumping may deplete the aquifer that supplies Saratoga Springs. The aquifer may extend to as far away as western Utah. Groundwater depletion in the Las Vegas Valley, 75 miles (121 km) to the northeast, is of particular concern.[4]
In order to protect the pupfish and several other sensitive species, the National Park Service prohibits visitors from entering the wetland at Saratoga Springs.[6]
References
- ^ NatureServe (7 April 2023). "Cyprinodon nevadensis nevadensis". NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data accessed through NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia: NatureServe. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ a b "Cyprinodon nevadensis". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
- ^ "Death Valley geology field trip: Saratoga and Valley Springs". USGS/NPS. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
- ^ California Department of Fish and Game. Archived from the original(PDF) on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
- ^ Hughson, Debra; Woo, Danette (15 July 2004). "Report on a Workshop to Revisit the Mohave Tui Chub Recovery Plan and a Management Action Plan" (PDF). NPS. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
- ^ National Park Service sign at Saratoga Springs (2008)
External links
- Death Valley geology field trip: Saratoga and Valley Springs (Includes photo)